Collapsible mop support



April 12, 1960 A. YAMEN ETAL 2,932,048

coLLAPsIBLE Mop SUPPORT med Aug. 14, 19s? n 3| 33 lNvENToR.

lRv/NG A. YAMEN F 5 WILL/AM w. SMITH El Y Unifed Seres This invention relates generally to licor mops and more particularly to `mop heads or supports of the folding and col-lapsible type and lis an improvement upon the Collapsible Mop Support shown and claimed in the Irving A. Yamen United States Patent No. 2,840,840 issued July (l, :1958, said patent and *the present application having been assigned to a common assignee.

Reference is made to saidYamen patent for a complete understanding of the various uses and functions of lthe instant mop, and in view of this disclosure only the improved features are beingillustrated in the drawing, it being understood that the present mop is used in a manner substantially identical tothat described in said pending application. Among the' improved features are (1`) the type of universal connection between the mop handle receiving member and the connector'of the mop support; (2) 'the construction of the mop handle receiving means whereby the receiving member together with `themop handle secured thereto may be pivoted into a plane substantially parallel withv the surface over which the mop operates; (3) the improved releasable latch'means for maintaining the leaves and wings of the mop in anextended coplanar position; and finally (4) incorporation of means for locating the hinge leaves in a common plane prior to locking them in extended position with said latch means.

Thus it is the primary object of this invention to provide a mop head or support having the various advantages outlined in said patent and which include thel improvements enumerated above.

The construction designed to carry out the invention will be hereinafter described, together with other Afeatures thereof, and will be more readily understoodby 'a reading of the following specification and by reference to the accompanying drawing forming a part thereof wherein an example of the 'invention is shown and wherein: p

Figure l is a top plan view of the mop head of this invention with the wings thereof broken away;

Figure 2 -is a sectional view taken along the lines 2-2 of Figure l; and

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along the lines 3-3 of Figure l.

Referring now in particular to the three figures of the As in said patent, the mop head, as viewed in Figure 1 and represented by H, comprises the right wing 2, the left wing 1 and a hinge illustrated generally by numeral 6, the leaves of which are attached to the Vwings to provide a hinge connection therebetween. In particular,

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2 hinge 6 is formed to provide a right leaf 7 and a left leaf 8 attached, respectively, to wings 2 and 1 by any suitable means such as that represented at9 and it will be noted that the wings and leaves are arranged in opposed spaced relation.

A connector element is shown generally at C and the leaves 7 and 8 are each attached `for pivotal or hinged movementv to the connector element. This attachment is accomplished by boss projections* 10 and 12 extending from the leaves and journaled by means of pins 11 or equivalents thereof to the connector C.` This pivotal movement should be entirely clear by referring to Figure 1 and said patent and is for the purpose of permitting collapsing of the wings from their extended position in order to easily remove the swab. 1 The connector element C has an open rectangular shape and includes front wall 13, rear Wall 14 and side walls 15. Between Vthe front and rear walls 13 and 14 there is provided hinge pin openings 16 for receiving the pin 17 and rotatably mounted thereon is a sleeve 18 having at its top a raised portion 19 provided with a pin hole l20. The bottom part of the socket member 3 is bifurcated to form the forks F which are journaled for movement on a pin 21 received in opening 20 and this pin is maintained in place by any suitablemeans, such as the'cotter pin 22,l it being apparent that pins 17 and 2.1 permit the socket or handle receiving member 3 to move substantially universally and that a durable and sturdy universal joint is provided. The rear wall 14 'of connector C is provided withspaced `up'standing por- Ations 23 which form asubstantial U-shaped opening 24 of a width greater than that of member 3 in an otherwise substantially closed rear wall. y,

Particularlyreferring to Figure 3, the socket element 3 is shown as positioned between the upstanding portions 23 and in this position the member 3 as well as the mop handle attached'thereto cannot move about the axis upon which sleeve 18 is journaled or, in other words, socket member 3 is limited to movement about one of the mutually perpendicular axes. It `will be further noted'that the forked portions F not only provide a sturdy connection with the connector C, but also that they are formed from at or straight surfaces 25 at the back thereof, as viewed in Figures 1 and 3, and due to this the socket member 3 may be positioned as shown in solid lines in Figure 3 with the ilat part 2S of each fork F yresting flush on the llat surface of Abase 26 of opening 24, with the result thatthe socket member and the mop handle secured thereto may be knowingly positioned in a plane closely spaced to and parallel with the plane of the oor upon which the mop is being used, this being advantageous during use of a mop including head H.

The construction described relative to the universal mounting as well as the construction of member 3 constitutes improvements of this invention, but one of the most important features resides in the means for positioning and maintaining the hinge leaves 7 and 8 in their extended position, as shown in Figure l, wherein the leaves are substantially coplanar. Considering said patent for the moment, the locking means for accomplishing this same objective was found to have certain defects, among which are (1) no means is provided for insuring that the hinge leaves are coplanar prior to inserting the locking pin in the aligned openings of the portions carriedV by the leaves, and (2) the locking pin was found to jam occasionally. Referring to present Figures 1 and 3 in particular, there extends from the connector C and more specically from the front wall 13 thereof, a lateral member 30 having a flat top surface 31. The projections 12 of the hinge leaves that are connected for iournaled movement with the connector adjasent. the front wall. thereof are enla.reed as Shown in, Fis: ures 1 and 2 to include a ange portion 32 having at bottom surfaces 33 adapted 'to abut and rest against the surface 3.1 and when thistalss. Blase. 011s is insures that the hinge leaves' "1 endl; are Properly @Haunted .s common plane. andthat the. latchiss -Qf the, leaves. iathis residan. may 110W. tels@ Place to lack the, leaves insa-@114i ed position. Y These same projections 1,2' are provided with slats 34 ,which also are. arranged t9 be axiallyaligned when the leaves are coplanar. Pivotally mounted on proistiorl, 1,2, Qf leaf 7. iS an. arm Q havingV a Substantially square shaped part 3d comparable ,but slightly smaller than the size of slots 3.4 a rounded raised part 37, there also beingvsecured tothe arm on the opposite-side of part 36 suitable'handle means 38A. Extending laterally from portion 32 of'leafY 7 isv a spring 40 having @terminalefn 41, @mowed as Shown in Figure 3- Assumingthe leaves are in proper coplanar position| with the ange portions 32 resting on surfae 3 1, then the operatormanuallyv 'moves the arm 35 from, the dotted line position of Figure 1 'tothe` ysolid line'position with; part 3.7, overcoming the bias of rcontour 4:1' until it is positioneid` as 'shown in Figure 3 with part 36 within the aligned slots 34. Terminal partr 41 forms a latch which should be obvious for holding the, arm 3.5I in this," position and the mop is; now in condition toy be used. To change a swab, it is merely necessary to manually move arm 35 to the dotted lineposit'ion of Figure 1 by'applying 4sutlieient Vforce to overcome the;V spring bias 41 and then pivot the hinge leaves, all as showny in said cepending application. However, it has been found that the latch means` just described clearly overcornesfthel defects enumerated relative to said; patent and further the leaves are`knowingly in a coplanar position prior to Vlooking the.

latch means. L Y `From the foregoing disclosure and description of thel invention, which is illustratory and explanatory. thereof, itis clear'that the apparatus achieves the objects enumerated therein.' Various changes in the size, shape and materials, as well as in the, details of the illustrated construction may be made within'the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of this invention` A'What is claimed is: Y

1. A mop headcomprising a connector, mop handle receiving means mounted on the connector` for. substantially universal movement relative/thereto, hinge leaf means mounted in opposedv relation on opposite sidesvof the, connector for-hinged movement relativethereto', said hin/ge leaf means including means for. effecting connection with a swab with the leaves being adapted for move,- ment, from a folded position tol an extended positionI in which, the. leaves arev substantially coplanar, and releasable latch means for maintaining the leaves in extended position, said latch means comprising an arm pivotally mounted on one of said leaves, each of said leaves being provided with a Islot with the slots being axially aligned when the leaves are in an extended position and arranged to receive said arm, and means carried by one of the leaves for maintaining said arm within said slots, the slots being provided in opposed ilange portions forming a part of said leaves, stop means for maintaining the leaves coplanar prior to movement of said arm into said slots, said portions being positionable on said stop means.

2. A mop head as dened in claim l wherein the stop means is carried b y the connectorand the means for maintaining said arm withinsaid slots includes a spring member carried by one of the portions and engageable with said arm.

3. A mop head comprising a connecten mop handle receiving means mounted on the connector for substantially universal movement relative thereto, hinge leaf means mounted in opposed relation on oppositeI sides of the connector for hinged movement relative thereto, said hinge leafv means including means for effecting connecf tion with a swab with the leaves being adapted for movement from a folded position to an extendedI position in which the leaves are substantially coplanar, and releasable means for maintaining the leaves in extended position, `the connector element being provided with spaced front and rear walls interconnected by spaced side walls which form an opening, a member mounted in said opening on said connector for rotative movement about a xed axis and saidv receiving means comprising a socket member mounted on said rotatable member for pivotal movement about a second axis which is substantially perpendicular to the first axis, said socket member comprising forked legs with one side of said4 legs. being flat, said rear wall being provided with a substantially Ushaped opening, the rear wall being at at the of said opening and said at side of said legs beingengageable therewith.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 15,526,455 Beaudet Feb, 17, 1192.5 2,192,547 Glover Mar. 5, 190 2,192,861 Burchell Mar. 5, 1 940 2,325,598 Fatland v Aug. 3 19,43 2,804,638 Vosbikian et al Sept. 3, 1 9'57 2,840,840 Yamen July 1, 1958 

